In the 1950s, my parents lived in Bay City, a long way from the Flats, especially in those pre-expressway days. Unlike my cousins, who lived near Detroit, I usually only got to spend a few weeks each summer at the cottage. As with many things remembered, those few weeks now seem to have taken over whole years of my memory.
The upstairs in the old cottage was a large open space. Bare wall-studding, exposed rafters, and not a few places where light could be seen filtering in through the shingles (they never seemed to leak; I wonder why?). A lot of things that didn't get used much were stored upstairs, as well as every sway-backed bed and lumpy mattress in the universe. This was where we boys were all packed away shortly after sundown. I suppose that early bedtimes were needed to allow some time for things to settle down.